Loading... A protocol to estimate epiphyte biomass in a forest management unit: case of Cameroon

What is it about?

Vascular Epiphytes constitute an important carbon sink in the Tropical forests. We have shown for the first time that vascular epiphytes biomass can be evaluated using allometries. i.e. measuring the host tree's diameter and height, and fitting the variables into the allometries developed within the context of this study to obtain the quantity of vascular epiphyte biomass, which is then converted into Carbon stocks.

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Why is it important?

This is very important in future carbon stock evaluations. Epiphyte carbon can be assessed without tree climbing or tree felling. This goes a long way to reduce deforestation in carbon stocks estimations within the Tropical forests, a REDD+ strategy for climate change mitigation. Also, this allometry contributes to the epiphyte biomass missing factor in tree allometries, of below and aboveground biomass. This factor can be integrated in tropical tree allometries and use to calibrate LiDAR to scan trees for carbon stocks estimations. LiDAR for now do not have this factor and so can only produce data only for the tree without the Epiphyte loads on the tree because that factor is missing.

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